Air Week: March 25-31, 2019

Andre Williams (R.I.P.) and Fortune Records

This past week, we lost Andre Williams, a completely original and unique voice from the early days of Rhythmn & Blues. He was 82 and died from colon cancer in Chicago. Matt The Cat and the “Juke In The Back” pay our respects to this true innovator as well as Fortune Records, the storied label that he recorded for. Fortune was a Detroit original, started in late 1946, it paved the way for future greatness. We’ll dig on some of their early releases, before jumping into their biggest star, Andre Williams. Originally from Alabama, Williams packed each single with grit, soul and a touch of weirdness that makes nearly all of his releases remain fresh-sounding today. Williams scored a national top 10 R&B record in 1956-57 with “Bacon Fat.” It was so big, that Fortune Records licensed it to Epic Records for national distribution. A portion of this week’s program is also dedicated to Nolan Strong & The Diablos, one of the smoothest and soulful of the ’50s doo wop vocal groups. Even though The Diablos never had a national hit, they are remembered today for Nolan Strong’s beautiful tenor and their original rendition of “The Wind” from 1954. So get ready to move and groove as the “Juke In The Back” jumps with some of Andre Williams’ and Fortune Records’ greatest 78 RPM Records. 

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